Skin moisturizing composition and method of preparing same

ABSTRACT

A long lasting, esthetically pleasing skin care moisturizing composition comprising 
     (1) an oil phase comprising oil from about 30% to about 80% and a non-ionic surface active agent having an HLB number of about 7 to about 12, wherein the non-ionic surface active agent is present in an amount of about 5% to about 9%; 
     (2) an aqueous phase comprising an aqueous thickening agent from about 0.05% to about 5% and water from about 15% to about 65% wherein the oil phase is added to the aqueous phase to form an emulsion has been developed. The method of preparation of the composition and a method of treating skin with the composition are also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dry skin is caused by an inadequate moisture content in the stratumcorneum. The stratum corneum is a multicellular membrane of flattened,metabolically active cells which forms the outer layer of skin. Themembrane is dynamic, constantly renewing itself as surface cells arelost through desquamation but replaced at an equivalent rate fromunderlying epidermal cells. This process maintains an essentiallyconstant number of cell and a constant thickness in the stratum corneum.

The stratum corneum's water content must remain not less thanapproximately 10% to maintain normal skin hydration. At this moisturelevel, keratin (the horny skin layer) softens and attains a plasticstate. This moisture level occurs in normal skin when the environment isat about 60% relative humidity. In the normal indoor environment,moisture content of the stratum corneum is about 10 to 15%. At 95%relative humidity, the stratum corneum's moisture content increases toabout 65%. At low temperature and relative humidity, the outer skinlayer dries out, becomes less flexible and may crack when flexed therebyincreasing the rate of moisture loss.

Dry skin is characterized by one or more of the following: roughness orflaking; loss of flexibility; fissures; hyperkeratosis; inflammation andpruritus. While dry skin can occur at any season, it is especiallyprevalent in the winter and commonly found on the forearms, back of thehands, fingers and lower legs. Other causes of dry skin include disease,prolonged detergent use, malnutrition, age and physical damage to thestratum corneum.

Water is the only true plasticizer for human stratum corneum. Theoptimum treatment for dry skin is to raise the stratum corneum'smoisture level and to reestablish its integrity. Approaches to treatingdry skin include: lubricating the skin; moisturizing the skin;chemically softening the keratinous epidermal layer; treatment withanti-inflammatory medicinal compounds. A detailed discussion of theapproaches for treating dry skin is contained in Handbook ofNonprescription Drugs, eighth edition, Copyright 1986, AmericanPharmaceutical Assoc., Washington, D.C., Chapter 30, pages 597 to 631,the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Moisture diffuses to the keratin layer about 50 to 100 times faster thanit is lost from the skin surface. Human skin is an effective barrieragainst water loss. Physical damage increases transepidermal water loss.

One of the primary treatments of dry skin involves the use of occlusiveagents. Occlusives are hydrophobic substances that promote waterretention by forming a barrier on the skin that will prevent moistureloss. The most commonly used occlusive agents include petrolatum,lanolin, cocoa butter, mineral oil and silicones.

Occlusives alone are not considered sufficient treatment. Patients aregenerally directed to soak the effected area in water for 5 to 10minutes and then immediately apply the occlusive agent. This treatmentwill hydrate and then trap moisture in the skin. It is also believedthat occlusives reestablish the integrity of the stratum corneum. Inaddition, occlusion may increase the metabolic rate of the epidermis,thereby increasing production of materials that become part of thestratum corneum. Caution must be exercised to avoid excessive hydrationand maceration.

The best occlusive agents are, by their very nature, oleaginous having agreasy texture and are difficult to spread. More esthetic oil-in-wateremulsions are preferred modes for applying occlusive agents. They areless effective, however, and rely on the aid of other formulating agentsto form a film on the skin after the product's water content hasevaporated.

While much effort has been directed to providing a highly effective,esthetically pleasing product none have been completely successful. Thetraditional approach has been to apply the occlusive product and producethe coating film in one step. The net result is that good esthetics areachieved at the expense of good occlusive films. Current products andmethods of use have not been able to provide both a highly occlusivefilm and good esthetics in one product and method of use.

The composition and method of the present invention are directed toadding moisture to dry skin and applying a thin, long lasting occlusivefilm that is both effective and esthetically pleasing. The essentialproperty of the present skin treating composition is that it increasesstratum corneum flexibility by adding and sealing in moisture with along lasting esthetically pleasing occlusive film.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has surprisingly been found that a moisturizing skin care compositionof the occlusive type that is long lasting and esthetically pleasing isprepared by forming an oil phase containing an oil and a dissolvedsurface active agent and an aqueous phase containing a dispersedthickening agent. Then admixing the two phases by slowly adding the oilphase to the aqueous phase with high shear mixing to form anoil-in-water emulsion and recovering the final product. The product ofthe invention has an oil content of about 30% to about 80%.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In particular, it has been found that a long lasting, estheticallypleasing moisturizing skin care composition is produced comprisingforming an oil phase by dissolving a surface active agent into an oiland heating the mixture, forming an aqueous phase by dispersing anaqueous thickening agent in water and heating the mixture, forming anemulsion by slowly adding the heated oil phase to the heated aqueousphase with high shear mixing while maintaining an elevated temperaturewherein addition of the oil phase to the water phase is at a slowuniform rate such that a physically stable emulsion is formed, andrecovering the skin care composition.

A physically stable emulsion will not separate into layers on standing.The oil phase is formed with sufficient heating to facilitate mixing anddissolving the surface active agent in the oil. The aqueous phase isformed with sufficient heating to facilitate mixing and dispersing theaqueous thickening agent. The emulsion is formed with sufficient heatingto facilitate mixing and emulsion formation.

More particularly, it has been found that a long lasting, estheticallypleasing moisturizing skin care composition is produced comprisingforming an oil phase by dissolving a surface active agent into an oiland heating to about 60° C. to about 80° C., forming an aqueous phase bydispersing an aqueous thickening agent in water and heating to about 60°C. to about 80° C.,forming an emulsion by slowly adding the oil phase tothe aqueous phase with high shear mixing while maintaining a temperatureof about 60° C. to 80° C. wherein addition of the oil phase to the waterphase is at a uniform rate over a period of at least about 10 mintues,preferably about 10 minutes to about 30 minutes; and recovering the skincare composition.

When an aqueous thickening agent is used which requires neutralization,the procedure must contain the following process step after formation ofthe emulsion and before recovery of the product; neutralizing theemulsion by adding with moderate mixing an effective amount of aneutralizing agent to the emulsion such that a pH of about 4.5 to about8.2 is attained while maintaining a temperature of about 60° C. to about80° C..

The skin care composition of the present invention comprises (1) an oilphase comprising oil from about 30% to about 80% and a non-ionic surfaceactive agent having an HLB number of about 7 to about 12, wherein thenon-ionic surface active agent is present in an amount of about 5% toabout 9%; (2) an aqueous phase comprising an aqueous thickening agentfrom about 0.05% to about 5% and water from about 15% to about 65%, allpercents are by weight of the final composition.

The method of treating skin of the present invention comprises applyingto said skin an effective amount of a skin care composition comprising(1) an oil phase comprising oil from about 30% to about 80% and anon-ionic surface active agent having an HLB number of about 7 to about12, wherein the non-ionic surface active agent is present in an amountof about 5% to about 9%; (2) an aqueous phase comprising an aqueousthickening agent from about 0.05% to about 5% and water from about 15%to about 65% and washing the treated skin with water to remove excessskin care composition leaving the skin with a coating having smoothvelvety feel, all percents are by weight of the skin care composition.The skin care composition may optionally contain a neutralizing agent.

The skin care composition of the present invention provides an oil inwater emulsion having high oil content from about 30% to about 80%.Compositions having such high oil content are generally physicallyunstable and "greasy" or "oily". The present inventive composition isphysically stable. In addition, the present invention when applied tothe skin produces an "oily" coating. Surprisingly the "oily" coating isreadily washed off with water leaving the skin coated with a smooth"velvety", "non-oily" film of oil. The residual oil film is resistant tofurther washing and remains on the skin for about 8 hours.

While the invention is not to be limited to theoretical considerations,it is believed that incorporation of the thickening agent into theaqueous phase physically stabilizes the emulsion providing for a longshelf life and a pharmaceutically acceptable appearance. It is furtherbelieved, that incorporation of a non-ionic surface active agent havingan HLB number between about 7 to about 12 provides the oil in wateremulsion with special properties. Emulsions of the present invention arehigh in oil content yet water washable. In addition, these emulsionsleave a long lasting velvety feeling layer of oil on the skin. Thesurfactant functions to aid emulsion formation and impart a watercompatible property to the oil allowing an oil film to adhere to theskin surface after washing with water.

The oil phase of the present invention comprises an oil and a non-ionicsurface active agent. Oil acts as an occlusive agent. The oils useful inthe present invention are varied and may be of animal, vegetable ormineral origin. Methods of producing oils are known and not a subject ofthe present invention. Animal oils are derived from the organs andtissues of animals and may be collected through extraction, heatingand/or expressing processes. Vegetable oils are usually derived from theseeds of various plants and are generally produced by extraction orpressing processes. Mineral oils are derived from petroleum and arerecovered through various refining processes. Throughout thespecification and claims, the term "oil" shall be defined as any oil ofanimal, vegetable, synthetic or mineral origin in liquid form.

The oils useful in the present invention may be food grade edible oilsor nonedible oils. For example, food grade oils would be particularlyuseful in edible pharmaceuticals and food products. Nonedible and edibleoils would be useful in topical pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personalcare products and in lubricants.

Illustrative, nonlimiting examples of oils useful in the presentinvention include animal oils such as lanolin and the like, fatty acidesters and the marine oils: fish oil, whale oil, fish liver oil, sealoil, squalane and the like; vegetable oils such as castor oil, linseedoil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, olive oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil,corn oil, safflower seed oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, palm oil,palm kernel oil, sweet almond oil, calophyllum oil, avacado oil, cerialgerm oil, purcellin oil, and the like; mineral oils such as whitemineral oil, parafin oil, petroleum jelly oil, petrolatum and the like.Synthetic oils such as silicone oils, dimethylpolysiloxane, cyclicsilicones, methylphenylpolysiloxane, silicone-glycol copolymer and thelike. Any of the oils may be used individually or in mixtures. Thepreferred oil is mineral oil.

Oil is present from about 30% to about 80%, preferably from about 55% toabout 75% and most preferably from about 65% to about 75% by weight ofthe skin care composition. The preferred oil is mineral oil. Preferably,the mineral oil will have a viscosity of about 6.0 cps to about 85.0cps.

An oil content of less than about 30% results in a composition that istoo liquid, the emulsion being physically unstable. A composition withan oil content of more than about 80% does not form a stable emulsion.

A surface active agent, more commonly known as a surfactant, as usedherein is an organic compound consisting of two parts: a hydrophobicportion, and a hydrophilic portion which renders the compoundsufficiently soluble or dispersible in water or another polar solvent.The combined hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions render the compoundsurface-active and thus able to concentrate at the interface between asurface active agent oil solution and another phase such as an aqueousphase.

There are three types of surface active agents:

(A) non-ionic, which do not dissociate, but commonly derive theirhydrophilic portion from polyhydroxy or polyethoxy structures; such aspolyethylene oxides, polyoxyethylene fatty acid esters;

(B) anionic, where the hydrophilic portion of the molecule carries anegative charge: such as sodium lauryl sulfate, and linear alkylsulfates, and

(C) cationic, where the hydrophilic portion of the molecule carries apositive charge: such as cetyl pryidinium chloride.

Non-ionic surface active agents are preferred in the present invention.Nonlimiting illustrative non-ionic surfactants include:

    ______________________________________                                        Alkanolamides                                                                 Fatty acid alkanolamides                                                                         RCONHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH                                                     (ethanolamides)                                            Fatty acid dialkanolamides                                                                       RCON(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH).sub.2                           Polyethyleneglycol derivatives                                                Alkyl polyglycol ethers                                                                          R(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n OH                             Alkyl aryl polyglycol ethers                                                                     RC.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n OH             Polyglycol esters  RCO(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n OH                           Thioethers         RS(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n H                            Polyethyleneimine derivatives                                                 Alkylpolyethyleneimine                                                                           R(NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n NH.sub.2                      Polyethyleneimine amides                                                                         RCONH(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 NH).sub.n H                        ______________________________________                                    

wherein n is a whole number and R is a hydrophobic chain of about 12 toabout 18 carbon atoms

Alkylated aryl polyether alcohol,

Polyethylene glycol tert-dodecyl thioether,

Fatty acid amide condenstae,

Aromatic polyglycol ether condensate,

Secondary amide of lauric acid,

Fatty acid alkanomine condensate,

Sorbitan monolaurate,

Sorbitan monolauratepoloxyethylene derivative,

Sorbitan monooleate,

Sorbitan monooleate polyoxyethylene derivative.

Another class of non-ionic surface active agents useful in thisinvention are ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oils. Such surfactants areprepared by hydrogenating castor oil and treating the so-formed productwith from about 10 to 200 moles of ethylene glycol. They are designatedas PEG (numeral) hydrogenated castor oil in accordance with thedictionary of the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrance Association, 3rdEd. wherein the numeral following PEG indicates the degree ofethoxylation, i.e. the number of moles of ethylene oxide added. SuitablePEG hydrogenated castor oils include PEG 16, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80,100 and 200.

The preferred non-ionic surface active agents are polyoxyethylene fattyacid esters such as polyoxyethylene (2) stearyl ether (POE (2) stearylether), POE (2) oleyl ether, polypropylene glycol (5) ceteth 20(PPG(5ceteth 20) POE (50) stearate, POE (20) stearyl ether, and thelike.

It is critical that the non-ionic surface active agent or mixture ofnon-ionic surface active agents have a hydrophilic--lipophilic balancenumber (HLB) of about 7 to about 12, preferably about 8 to about 11. TheHLB is an important property of the non-ionic surface active agent sinceit determines the type of emulsion the surfactant tends to produce, i.e.oil in water or water in oil.

A surface active agent with an HLB number less than about 7 will notform an emulsion in the present system. While a surface active agentwith an HLB number greater than about 12 will form a product that doesnot leave an oily fraction on the skin after working as the product willnot bind to the skin.

A surface active agent that is lipophilic in character is assigned a lowHLB number while a surface active agent that is hydrophilic is assigneda high number. A mixture of surface active agents will have an HLBnumber equivalent to a weighted average of the individual HLB numbers.For example, a surface active agent mixture of 1 part A, 2 parts B and 2parts C, where the HLB number for A=5, B=15, and C=9 would be:

HLB_(mix) =1/5×5+2/5×15+2/5×9=9.6

The HLB value of non-ionic surface active agents are well known in theart. A typical list of HLB values for common surface active agents isfound in Cosmetics Science and Technology, second edition, Vol. 3,Balsam and Sagarin, Editors, Interscience Publishers, New York, 1974pages 583 to 597, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporatedby reference.

The surface active agent of the present invention may be single or amixture. The amount of surface active agent in the present invention isabout 5% to about 9%, preferable about 6% to about 8%. A surface activeagent concentration greater than about 9% will produce a veryhydrophilic composition which will not spread properly having a plasticflow instead of a thixotropic flow. Surface active agent content of lessthan about 5% will not hold an emulsion over time or at elevatedtemperatures and phase separation will occur. Freezing and thawing willalso cause phase separation when the surface active agent content isless than about 5%.

The aqueous phase of the present invention comprises water and anaqueous thickening agent. Suitable thickening agents can comprisenatural and synthetic gum, mixtures of gum, gelling agents and the like.Representative illustration include:

Natural gums: alginates, carrageenan, xanthan gum, gelatin, guar, gumarabic, carob, tragacanth, locust bean gum, karaya, pectin, agar, and

Synthetics: cellulose ethers and esters, methylcellulose, sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose,carbomers and carbopol

Colloidal hydrated aluminum silicate: bentonite

Synthetic hectorite: laponite

Colloidal silica: aerosil and the like.

The aqueous thickening agent is present from about 0.05% to about 5%preferably about 0.1% to about 3% and most preferably about 0.1% toabout 1%. When the thickening agent is present in an amount of less thanabout 0.05% the emulsion is physically unstable. At amounts greater thanabout 5% the aqueous phase will become too thick and an emulsion willnot form. The thickening agents of the present invention may swell orgel on contact with water causing the viscosity to increase by addingstructure to the aqueous phase. Alternatively, the thickening agent maybe of the type requiring neutralization with a basic composition tocause increased structure and viscosity in the aqueous phase.

Examples of direct thickening agents include natural and synthetic gums,gels and cellulose derivatives. Typical thickening agents requiringneutralization include carbomers and carbopols.

When thickening agents requiring neutralizing agents are used, theneutralizing agent is added after the emulsion is formed with moderatestirring while maintaining a temperature of about 60 degrees C. to about80 degrees C.

Mixing is continued until the emulsion is uniform generally about 5 toabout 10 minutes.

Neutralizing agents useful in the present invention include aqueoussoluble basic materials. Illustrative nonlimiting examples include basicalkali metal salts and alkaline earth metal salts such as hydroxides andcarbonates and basic amine compounds such as triethanolamine,isopropylamine and the like. The ratio of thickening agent toneutralizing agent is about 1:4 to about 1:10. The pH of the emulsionafter neutralization is about 4.5 to about 8.2.

Water is present in an amount of about 15% to about 65%, preferably fromabout 20% to about 40% and most preferably from about 25% to about 35%.

The present invention may further include ingredients such as colorants,preservatives, antioxidants, medicaments, moisturizers, sunscreenagents, germicides, deodorants, antiperspirants, healing agents,solvents, humectants, thickeners for the oily phase, emollients,buffers, fragrances, flavors and abrasives. These ingredients aregenerally added after the emulsion is formed.

The present invention is further illustrated by the following examples.All parts and percentages in the examples and throughout thespecification and claims are by weight of the final composition unlessotherwise indicated.

EXAMPLE 1 (Inventive Run A and Comparative Run 1)

This Example demonstrates the effect of rate of addition of the oilphase to the aqueous phase on formation of the skin care composition.

    ______________________________________                                        Formula            A        1                                                 Ingredients        (% w/w)  (% w/w)                                           ______________________________________                                        Deionized Water    20.15    20.15                                             Methyl paraben     0.20     0.20                                              Propyl paraben     0.10     0.10                                              Imidazolidinyl Urea                                                                              0.30     0.30                                              Carbomer 940       0.15     0.15                                              Triethanolamine 98%                                                                              1.50     1.50                                              POE (2) Stearyl Ether                                                                            3.00     3.00                                              Mineral Oil        70.00    70.00                                             PPG-5-ceteth-20    0.10     0.10                                              POE (20) Stearyl Ether                                                                           4.00     4.00                                              Fragrance          0.50     0.50                                              TOTAL              100.00   100.00                                            HLB Number         10.7     10.7                                              ______________________________________                                    

Procedure: the water phase was prepared by adding the methylparaben,propylparaben and imidazolidinyl urea (preservative) and carbomer 940(thickener) to the water with mixing to disperse and then raising thewater temperature to about 75 to 80 degrees C. with continued mixing.

The oil phase was prepared by adding the surface active agentsPPG-5-CETETH-20, POE(2) stearyl ether and POE (20) stearyl ether to theoil with mixing then raising the temperature to about 75 degrees to 80degrees C.

The emulsion is then formed by adding the oil phase to the water phaseand mixing at high shear.

In inventive Run A, the oil phase is added to the water phase at about 5ml/minute equal to about 15 minutes. For comparative Run 1, the oilphase is added to the water phase at about 15 ml/minute equal to about 5minutes.

The neutralizing agent is then added to the emulsion with mixingcontinuing until the product is uniform.

Run A forms a smooth creamy emulsion that is physically stable. Theproduct is acceptable.

Run 1 forms a physically unstable product. Oil separates from theemulsion, the product deflocculates and is unacceptable.

EXAMPLE 2 (Comparative Runs 2 and 3)

This Example demonstrates the effect of surface active agents having anHLB number less than 7 and greater than 12. The compositions of thisexample are prepared by the process of Example 1 Run A. Run 2 has an HLBnumber of 16.2. Run 3 has an HLB number of 5.1.

    ______________________________________                                        Formula            2        3                                                 Ingredients        (% w/w)  (% w/w)                                           ______________________________________                                        Deionized water    20.15    20.15                                             Methyl paraben     0.20     0.20                                              Proply paraben     0.10     0.10                                              Imidazolidinyl Urea                                                                              0.30     0.30                                              Carboxyvinyl Polymer 940                                                                         0.15     0.15                                              Triethanolamine 98%                                                                              1.50     1.50                                              POE (2) Stearyl ether                                                                            3.00     --                                                POE (50) Stearate  --       3.00                                              Mineral Oil        70.00    70.00                                             PPG-5-ceteth-20    0.10     0.10                                              POE (2) Oleylether 4.00     --                                                POE (20) Stearyl ether                                                                           --       4.00                                              Fragrance          0.50     0.50                                              Total              100.00   100.00                                            HLB Number         16.2     5.1                                               ______________________________________                                    

Both Runs 2 and 3 produce products that are physically unstable. The oilseparates out of the emulsion.

    ______________________________________                                                           % of                                                                          Total             Frac-                                                       Surface           tion-                                                       Active   HLB      al                                       Calculation of HLB Agent    Number   HLB                                      ______________________________________                                        Run 3 POE (2) Stearyl ether                                                                          42.3     5.0    2.1                                          POE (2) Oleyl ether                                                                            56.3     4.9    2.8                                          PPG (5) Ceteth 20                                                                              1.4      15.0   0.2                                          Run 3 Total HLB Number           5.1                                    Run 2 POE (50) Stearate                                                                              42.3     17.9   7.6                                          POE (20) Stearyl ether                                                                         56.3     15.0   8.4                                          PPG (5) Ceteth 20                                                                              1.4      15.0   0.2                                          Run 2 Total HLB Number           16.2                                   ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 3 (Inventive Runs B and C)

This Example demonstrates the effect of oil content on the emulsion. Thecompositions of this Example are prepared by the process of Example 1Run A.

    ______________________________________                                                           B        C                                                 Formula Ingredients                                                                              % w/w    % w/w                                             ______________________________________                                        Deionized Water    15.00    60.15                                             Methyl paraben     0.20     0.20                                              Propyl paraben     0.10     0.10                                              Imidazolidinyl Urea                                                                              0.30     0.30                                              Carboxyvinyl Polymer 940                                                                         0.15     0.15                                              Triethanolamine 98%                                                                              1.50     1.50                                              POE (2) Stearyl Ether                                                                            3.00     3.00                                              Mineral Oil        75.15    30.00                                             PPG-5-ceteth-20    0.10     0.10                                              POE (20) Stearyl Ether                                                                           4.00     4.00                                              Fragrance          0.50     0.50                                                                 100.00   100.00                                            HLB Number         10.7     10.7                                              ______________________________________                                    

Run B product is stringy and pituitive, emulsion is acceptable butmarginal.

Run C product is a thin liquid, emulsion is acceptable but marginal.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not be regarded as adeparture from the spirit of scope of the invention and all suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of theclaims.

I claim:
 1. An occlusive skin car composition comprising, based on totalweight of said composition:(1) an oil phase comprising oil selected fromthe group consisting of animal oils, vegetable oils, mineral oils,synthetic oils and mixtures thereof in an amount of from about 55% toabout 75% and about 5% to about 9% of a non-ionic surface active agenthaving an HLB number of about 7 to 12; and (2) an aqueous phasecomprising an aqueous thickening agent selected from the groupconsisting of natural gums, synthetic gums, gelling agents and mixturesthereof in an amount of from about 0.05% to about 5% and water fromabout 20% to about 40%;wherein said composition is prepared by (a)forming said oil phase by dissolving said non-ionic surface active agentinto said oil and heating to about 60° C. to about 80° C. to facilitatesolution; (b) forming said aqueous phase by dispersing said aqueousthickening agent in water and heating to about 60° C. to about 80° C. tofacilitate dispersing; and (c) forming a stable oil-in-water emulsion byadding said oil phase to said aqueous phase with high shear mixing whilemaintaining said elevated temperature, wherein the addition of said oilphase to said aqueous phase is at a slow, uniform rate of at least about10 minutes.
 2. A method for preparing an occlusive skin care compositioncomprising:(a) forming an oil phase by dissolving, based on total weightof said composition, about 5% to about 9% by weight of a non-ionicsurface active agent having an HLB number of about 7 to about 12 intoabout 55% to about 75% by weight of an oil and heating to about 60° C.to about 80° C. to facilitate solution, (b) forming an aqueous phase bydispersing, based on total weight of said composition, about 0.05% toabout 5% by weight of an aqueous thickening agent in about 20% to about40% by weight of water and heating to about 60° C. to about 80° C. tofacilitate dispersing, (c) forming an emulsion by slowly adding said oilphase to said aqueous phase with high shear mixing while maintainingsaid elevated temperature, wherein addition of said oil phase to saidaqueous phase is at a slow uniform rate of at least about 10 minutessuch that a stable oil-in-water emulsion is formed; and (d) recoveringsaid skin care composition.
 3. The method of claim 2further comprisingthe step of neutralizing said oil-in-water emulsion by adding aneffective amount of a neutralizing agent.
 4. The skin care compositionof claim 1wherein said aqueous phase further comprises an effectiveamount of a neutralizing agent.
 5. A method of treating dry skin whichcomprises applying to the skin an effective amount of the skin carecomposition of claim
 1. 6. The composition of claims 1 or 4 wherein theoil is an animal oil selected from the group consisting of lanolin,fatty acid esters, fish oil, whale, oil, fish liver oil, seal oil,squalane and mixtures thereof.
 7. The composition of claims 1 or 4wherein the oil is a vegetable oil selected from the group consisting ofcastor oil, linseed oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, olive oil, peanutoil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, safflower seed oil, cottonseed oil, coconutoil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, sweet almond oil, calophyllum oil,avacado oil, cerial germ oil, purcellin oil, and mixtures thereof. 8.The composition of claims 1 or 4 wherein the oil is a mineral oilselected from the group consisting of white mineral oil, parafin oil,petroleum jelly oil, petrolatum and mixtures thereof.
 9. The compositionof claims 1 or 4 wherein the oil is a synthetic oil selected from thegroup consisting of silicone oils, dimethylpolysiloxane, cyclicsilicones, methylphenylpolysiloxane, silicone-glycol copolymer andmixtures thereof.
 10. The composition of claims 1 or 4 wherein thenon-ionic surface active agent is selected from the group consisting ofalkanolamides, polyoxyethylenes, polyoxyethylene fatty acid esters,polyethyleneglycol derivatives, polyethyleneimine derivatives,ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oils.
 11. The composition of claims 1 or4 wherein the non-ionic surface active agent is selected from the groupconsisting of polyoxyethylene (2) stearyl ether, POE (2) oleyl ether,PPG (5) ceteth 20, POE (5) stearate, POE (20) stearyl ether and mixturesthereof.
 12. The composition of claims 1 or 4 wherein the aqueousthickening agent is a natural gum selected from the group consisting ofalginates, carrageenan, xanthan gum, gelatin, guar, gum arabic, carob,tragacanth, locust bean gum, karaya, pectin, agar, and mixtures thereof.13. The composition of claims 1 or 4 wherein the aqueous thickeningagent is a synthetic gum selected from the group consisting of celluloseethers and esters, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose,carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carbomers and carbopoland mixtures thereof.
 14. The composition of claims 1 or 4 wherein theaqueous thickening agent is selected from the group consisting ofcolloidal hydrated aluminum silicate, bentonite, synthetic hectorite,laponite, colloidal silica and mixtures thereof.
 15. The composition ofclaim 4 wherein the neutralizing is selected from the group consistingof basic alkali metal salts, basic alkaline earth metal salts, basicamine compounds and mixtures thereof.
 16. The composition of claim 4wherein the neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting ofalkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides and carbonates,triethanol amine isopropylamine and mixtures thereof.
 17. The method ofclaims 3 or 5 wherein the neutralizing agent is selected from the groupconsisting of basic alkali metal, basic alkaline earth metal salts,basic amine compounds and mixtures thereof.
 18. The method of claims 3or 5 wherein the neutralizing agent is selected from the groupconsisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides andcarbonates, triethanolamine, isopropylamine and mixtures thereof. 19.The method of claims 2, 3, or 5 wherein the oil is an animal oilselected from the group consisting of lanolin, fatty acid esters, fishoil, whale oil, fish liver oil, seal oil, squalane and mixtures thereof.20. The method of claims 2, 3, or 5 wherein the oil is a vegetable oilselected from the group consisting of castor oil, linseed oil, sunfloweroil, soybean oil, olive oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil,safflower seed oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kerneloil, sweet almond oil, calophyllum oil, avacado oil, cerial germ oil,purcellin oil, and mixtures thereof.
 21. The method of claims 2, 3, or 5wherein the oil is a mineral oil selected from the group consisting ofwhite mineral oil, parafin oil, petroleum jelly oil, petrolatum andmixtures thereof.
 22. The method of claims 2, 3, or 5 wherein the oil isa synthetic oil selected from the group consisting of silicone oils,dimethylpolysiloxane, cyclic silicones, methylphenylpolysiloxane,silicone-glycol copolymer and mixtures thereof.
 23. The method of claims2, 3, or 5 wherein the non-ionic surface active agent is selected fromthe group consisting of alkanolamides, polyoxyethylenes, polyoxyethylenefatty acid esters, polyethyleneglycol derivatives, polyethyleneiminederivatives, ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oils.
 24. The method ofclaims 2, 3, or 5 wherein the non-ionic surface active agent is selectedfrom the group consisting of polyoxyethylene (2) stearyl ether, POE (2)oleyl ether, PPG (5) ceteth 20, POE (5) stearate, POE (20) stearyl etherand mixtures thereof.
 25. The method of claims 2, 3, or 5 wherein theaqueous thickening agent is selected from the group consisting ofnatural gums, synthetic gums, gelling agents, mixtures thereof.
 26. Themethod of claims 2, 3, or 5 wherein the aqueous thickening agent is anatural gum selected from the group consisting of alginates,carrageenan, xanthan gum, gelatin, guar, gum arabic, carob, tragacanth,locust bean gum, karaya, pectin, agar, and mixtures thereof.
 27. Themethod of claims 2, 3, or 5 wherein the aqueous thickening agent is asynthetic gum selected from the group consisting of cellulose ethers andesters, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose,carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carbomers and carbopoland mixtures thereof.
 28. The method of claims 2, 3, or 5 wherein theaqueous thickening agent is selected from the group consisting ofcolloidal hydrated aluminum silicate, bentonite, synthetic hectorite,laponite colloidal silica and mixtures thereof.
 29. The method of claim3 wherein the neutralizing is selected from the group consisting ofbasic alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, basic aminecompounds and mixtures thereof.
 30. The method of claim 3 wherein theneutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of alkali metaland alkaline earth metal hydroxides and carbonates, triethanol amine,isopropylamine and mixtures thereof.
 31. The composition of claims 1 or4 wherein the oil is mineral oil.
 32. The method of claims 2, 3, or 5wherein the oil is mineral oil.